Robertson: Liverpool struggled to focus on football after Jota's death

The former Liverpool defender said grief over Diogo Jota's passing left the squad without its usual edge during a difficult season.

Andy Robertson said Liverpool's players struggled to focus on football last season after the death of teammate Diogo Jota, who was killed in a road accident in July alongside his brother Andre Silva. Robertson, who left Liverpool this summer after nine years and joined Tottenham, made the comments on the Stick to Football podcast.

"You've just lost one of your best mates in the changing room," Robertson said. He added that the team lost its usual edge and determination, with players at times questioning the point of playing while Jota's family grieved. Robertson had attended Jota's wedding the week before his death.

Robertson also said new signings such as Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz arrived at a club that was heartbroken, and needed months to settle because the squad was not focused on football.

Liverpool began the season as champions but lost nine of 12 matches between September and November, finished fifth in the Premier League, and sacked head coach Arne Slot. Robertson, speaking after captaining Scotland to World Cup qualification, noted he and Jota had shared a dream of playing at the tournament after missing out in 2022, and said Jota's widow, Rute Cardoso, wrote to him before the World Cup asking him to carry that dream.